


it's always darkest before the dawn

by VolxdoSioda



Series: Whumptober 2018 (Complete) [27]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ableist Language, Day 27 - "I can't walk", Gen, Partial paralysis, Whumptober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 16:30:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16432937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VolxdoSioda/pseuds/VolxdoSioda
Summary: Noctis might never walk again, but that's not going to stop him or his friends from seeing the world.





	it's always darkest before the dawn

"I can't walk?"

"No, your Majesty. If you look at your x-rays here," the doctor lifts a thin stick to point at a spot. "The daemon attack has left you with what we call 'partial paralysis'. Your legs are still technically functional and healthy - but your spinal cord has been damaged. Without the aid of a mobility device, I'm afraid you won't be able to walk."

Regis' face is somber. "Is there a chance, later in life, he might...?"

The doctor's lips purse. "There have been assessments made of those who are paraplegic - while your son might eventually regain some feeling to his legs, there has yet been a person who was able to walk again. Usually because, by that point, the legs have atrophied. I'm sorry."

"I understand."

Noctis doesn't, but he mutely nods along when his dad lays a hand on his shoulder. No more going outside with Ignis, no more running through the forest ahead of his dad, no more fishing trips, no more running after Gladio. No more 'outside'.

He blinks back hot tears once they're out of the office. He shouldn't cry - he's still alive. He can still talk with Ignis and Gladio, and... ask for stories. That should be enough. It will have to be.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Days later, Noctis gets his first taste of the cruelty of his own people. 

 _Crown Prince A Cripple_ is splashed across all major news outlets as an 'insider' supposedly leaks the truth out. Media covers it extensively - and the doctor that vowed secrecy goes on live TV to show the same x-rays he showed Noctis, and tell the world the horrifying, embarrassing truth.

That for better or worse, Noctis has been made  _lame._

Noctis can't stop his tears here, despite Clarus and Cor and Regis all furiously shutting down as much of it as they can, running interference against the printing industries. But the words stay with him. Cold, and mocking.

_Cripple. Lame. Broken._

 

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Ignis and Gladio don't leave his side for a long time after that, and when the new wheelchair arrives that will allow Noctis to go back outside again, he's not nearly as eager to do so as before. It takes both of his friends gently reminding him that he's doing this for  _him,_ not the world beyond their doors, to get him in the seat. 

"And there's a trick to this," Gladio says, tugging his smaller hand over to the right side, where there's a small button. He pushes it, and Noctis gasps and holds tight as the chair beneath him begins shaking and quivering. The wheels pull apart into four sections, spreading out. A bar comes out from beneath the back to fold in front of him, holding him secure.

In the end, what he's sitting on is no longer just a wheelchair, but a metal  _spider._

Noctis stares at it, and then up at Gladio and Ignis, who are both smiling at him. 

"Ignis' uncle had the idea," Gladio says. "Got your dad into contact with some people in Lestallum that build steam engines for a living. It runs off sunlight, although if that's ever an issue, we can plug it into the wall and charge it."

Noctis cries this time, but it's happy crying. And both Ignis and Gladio hug him, understanding that, and then take him out back to try his new legs out.

He might never walk again, but at least with this he can still see the world. 


End file.
